Early Childhood Education and Care Certificate at Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo, Canada is a certificate in Education & Teaching programme. The programme runs for 2 years, delivered on campus. Teaching is in English. Tuition is CAD 6,200 per total for local students.
This certificate builds the knowledge and skills needed for working alongside young children and their families inside licensed child-care settings. It combines theoretical coursework with hands-on practicum placements that integrate self-awareness in relationships alongside practical experience, preparing students to become early childhood educators. The program can be completed full-time or part-time.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: VIU's general admission requirements apply, plus a minimum "C" in English 12 or equivalent. You also submit a resume covering your education and employment background and two letters of reference on VIU's University Reference Form from people who are not relatives — at least one must document 20 hours completed in a licensed child care setting such as a family child care, group day care or pre-school. A group interview with the programme Chair and faculty forms part of the process.
Enrolment is limited, so meeting the minimums does not guarantee a seat.
Before the first day of practicum you must give the ECEC faculty documented CPR Emergency Child Care certification or an accepted equivalent (for example St. John Ambulance Standard First Aid, or Basic Life Support Level B), valid for the whole placement period. Fieldwork and practica require a satisfactory criminal record check requested through VIU and processed by the Ministry under the Criminal Records Review Act; an RCMP check does not satisfy the Act.
International students additionally need a valid practicum work permit before being placed, and must give the ECEC faculty a copy of it.
Application Details
Application Deadline:Domestic (Canadian) applicants apply through EducationPlannerBC; Vancouver Island University sets no institution-wide equal-consideration date, and its admissions FAQ states deadlines vary by programme, with applications for most academic programmes opening 1 October in the year before a September start. VIU publishes no general closing date for that window; applicants are directed to each programme's own page for its own deadline. International applicants use the same portal; VIU publishes no international-specific institution-wide date either, and several health programmes (Practical Nursing, Nursing Unit Assistant) are stated as not currently open to international students. Each programme's own page carries its own Start Date, Deadlines, and Additional Application Details table for the 2026-27 cycle, and admission for programmes without a stated window is treated as ongoing/rolling until the intake fills. These are institution-wide dates; this programme publishes no deadline of its own.
